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Warren '83 Offers Advice for Dads

New Book: Bad Dads of the Bible: 8 Mistakes Every Good Dad Can Avoid, by Roland C. Warren ’83 (Zondervan)

The author: Warren worked for nearly 20 years in the business world for IBM, PepsiCo, and Goldman Sachs & Co. He then spent over a decade as president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, whose mission is to improve the wellbeing of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers. Today he is president and CEO of Care Net, a network of Christian pregnancy resource centers.

The book: Some of the most noted, celebrated, and godly men in the Bible — including Abraham, David, and Eli — made some very big mistakes when it came to raising their children. This book examines these mistakes, bringing them into a contemporary setting and giving today’s dads advice on how to avoid them. Should a dad slip up, this book also provides an easy-to-follow roadmap to help repair a father’s relationships with his children.

Opening lines: “When I was twenty years old, my wife, Yvette, had an experience with a friend that dramatically and forever shaped my understanding of the importance of fatherhood from a Christian perspective. … Yvette asked her friend if it was okay for her to pray for the meal that they would share. Without hesitation her friend said, ‘That’s fine.’

“Yvette started her prayer by saying, ‘Dear heavenly Father’… When she finished, Yvette noticed that her friend had a troubled look on her face. Fearing she had offended her friend, Yvette asked if there was something wrong with the prayer. Her friend paused for a moment and then said, ‘Oh, no. The prayer was fine. But I could never think of God as a heavenly father. My father was such an [#%&%*&!!]!’”

Review: Paul Mastin wrote on his Reading Glutton blog, “Warren points out that dads can constantly make deposits into their children’s ‘emotional bank accounts,’ by building them up, spending time with them, and loving them. There will be times when dads need to make a withdrawal. Warren writes clearly and encouragingly. Any father with children of any age can get some good ideas and encouragement from Bad Dads of the Bible.”